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BULLETIN 

OF THE 

Newport Historical Society 

Number Twenty-Eight NEWPORT, R. 1. January, 1919 

Recollections of Jacob Chase 

A Paper read before the Newport Historical Society at the 
regular quarterly meetings November /6\ rgrS 

By 
LLOYD M. MAYER, Librarian 

By request of Rev. Dr. Roderick Terry, Presidoit oj the Society 



Cities cannot live independent of the country round 
about them. Newport would not be half as dehghtful a 
place as it is, were it not for the beautiful island upon 
which it stands. Therefore it is w^ith especial pleasure 
that material relating to the country life of Aquidneck is 
collected and preserved in our archives. For the Newport 
Historical Society folds in its sheltering arms not only the 
grand old town itself whose name it bears, but all those 
pleasant expanses of hill and field and woodland that stretch 
ten miles to the northward as the crow flies. And the 
dwellers therein are as cordially welcome to its halls and 
galleries as the visitors who have but to turn a corner to 
reach them. 

Through the kindness of one of our members we were 
presented some months ago with a manuscript entitled 

"THE RECOLLECTIONS OF JACOB CHASE" 

and this manuscript constitutes the leaven of my paper. 

Jacob Chase begins his story as follows: "Some people 
want me to w^rite what I can remember of old times. I am 



/\/6'/VG/0 



79 yt'ars of iigc; ihv old mt-n oi' my you 111 arc all gone; the 
lluMi-middlc aged are gone. I am the old man now/' 

The "Recollections" were written in 1882 and this in 
conjunction Avith the number of years boasted by Mr. Chase 
at the time, points to the fact that he was born in 1803. Mr. 
Chase was therefore very clearly entitled to an excellent 
recollection of the War of 1812, that monster rock of glory 
in the memory of all good citizens of our beloved country. 
Anything that anyone can say or write who actually remem- 
bers the War of 1812, must needs be interesting, even if it 
Ileal only of the hills and vales, the streams and meadows, 
or the glistening sea ui)on which New])ort gazes from afar. 

The scenic setting of the "Recollections" lies in the 
vicinity of Law^ton's Valley. How many of us have not 
climbed the hill that dominates that picturesque spot, and 
paused in the ascent to comtemplate the lights and shadows 
of eventide as they touch the fair prospect with a soft caress 
of a good-night kiss! How many of us do not still retain 
sweet memories of picnics there when picnics were among 
the most delightful breaks in the educational monotony of 
childhood! I know there are many gathered here whose 
little souls first thrilled to the inspiration of the Battle 
Hymn of the Republic in or near Lawton's Valley, and 
whose bigger souls have thrilled more grandly to the same 
great strains in these very halls within the last twelve 
months. There are fairer scenes in the world to look iijion 
than Lawton's Valley, but are they as dear to us? 

Whittier says: 

"A dream to me alone is Arno's vale. 
And the Aihaml)ra's Halls are but a Traveller's Tale. 

The great poet loved his quiet New England surround- 
ings, and their only rivals were conjured up from the books 
of travel he had read. Hut we have seen and touched and 
lived in many of those other parts of the world which his 
pen so beautifully sketched. We have stood on the banks of 
the sluggish, muddy Arno; we have gazed on the snow- 
tipped Apennines; we have watched the glacier-born tor- 
rent plunging mist-wreathed from crag to crag with sullen 
roar to wind at last through sweet green meadows sparkling 
with the gorgeous wild flowers of beautiful Switzerland. 



Some of Lis have walehed the (hnvn and the sunrise flood 
with exquisite coloring the ice-bound peaks of tlie giant 
Himahiyas. But never was the ascendency of all this sub- 
hniily of nature in her grandest mold so great as to make 
our dear old Narragansett Bay and its adjacent shores seem 
small. 

Let us assume, therefore, that Jacob Chase, at nine 
years of age, was a happy little boy. He does not appear 
from his memoirs to have taken any very great interest in 
the momentous events of those days. We do not find in 
them any mention of the great war, the achievement of our 
honored Perry or anything of the sort. His first impres- 
sions appear to be of the school he attended, and especially 
of the schoolmaster, who is described as follows : 

"In 1810 or 1811 a school was kept in a private house 
by a learned man. He taught Algebra, Navigation, Survey- 
ing, and the commonn branches. He professed to be an 
astrologer and set horoscopes. He had a large book of 
astrology written by William Lilly of London, a scholar of 
Cornelius Agrippa of Florence. The book was brought to 
this country by the first George Lawton. It was lost about 
thirty years ago. After Lawton it was used by William 
Lilly Staftord of Tiverton. I was eight years old when most 
of this was told me by older scholars, but some of these 
things I saw myself. The teacher had been an officer in the 
French w?lr in Canada. The house, now torn down, was 
one of the first built on the Island, the lower story of stone, 
the ends and chimney of stone. The roof went down to one 
story on the rear side. The upper story was of wood. The 
windows had leaden sash diamond shape glass four inches 
square. The house was quite large, one room twenty by 
eighteen feet, and two bedrooms on the end back of this. The 
kitchen was twenty by sixteen and a closet at the end. The 
house had two large and one small fireplaces. I never was 
in the upper story. It had a door in front and one in the 
rear. The house was near a spring, as all the old houses 
were. The teacher was sixty-eight years old that Christmas. 
His scholars were from twenty-four to twenty-eight years 
of age. The school was kept in the front room when not too 
cold; our dinner was eaten in the kitchen at a long table 
wdth the teacher at the head. They all made common stock. 



What was left over was for the teacher's supi)er and bieak- 
last. It was a medley of corned beef and sausages, Ijread, 
potatoes, cheese, pic and doughnuts, apples, and some cider, 
of which he was very fond. The punishment of tlie schohirs 
Avas to be kept from the table for small faults, and for large 
ones to have his dinner taken away. This but seldom haj)- 
l)ened. I think some of the larger scholars sometimes gave 
the teacher some Jamaica rum or gin. Then he was very 
gracious and would tell us great stories of Canada hunting, 
bears and wild geese. Sometimes he would sing us a song 
which even now 1 can remember. We kept Christmas and 
his birthday. At one there was a goose and a spare rib of 
])ork in a large iron pot with a cast iron cover, very tight, 
set on the fire on the hearth covered with hot ashes and 
coals of fire. I think some of the large boys helped the old 
man the day before. The goose was stuffed with bread, pork 
antl sage and red peppers, and it was well cooked. We 
carried something extra that day, bread, pies, doughnuts, 
cheese, apples and cider. The old man had a large chair 
covered with red leather and he was dressed in a red coat 
of velvet, vest and breeches of small plaid of black and 
white, worsted stockings with clocks, large shoe buckles 
and buckles at his knees. A cocked hat and long cane with 
a gilt cross for head lay on the chair beside him." 

Mr. Chase speaks of remembering the first toidgc that 
conected our island with the mainland at Tiverton. These 
are his words: "1 remember the first bridge of wood was 
carried away. Some thought this was a judgment for 
fighting against God as he did not wish the island united 
with the mainland, else he would have made them so." 

References to atmospheric conditions and disturbances 
are always interesting. Mr. Chase refers to a great gale in 
1815 as follows: "The great gale of 1815 blew down trees 
and stone walls. The tide rose twenty rows in our corn- 
field next the shore." (Is not this delightful — measurement 
of tide by rows of corn?) "The bay was filled with boats, 
wood, hay. ])umpkins, cornstalks. One large schooner drove 
u]) high and dry on Prudence in a cornfield. Dyer's Island 
was covered. Down by the grove (Portsmouth Grove) it was 
overflown all but the round hill that then was an island. 

The comet of 1810 with its long tail portended war. 



famine and pestilence. The cold season of 1816 and the 
sickness with the war of 1812 confirnied this and by many 
was considered heretical to doubt it. There was frost every 
month in 181(). In the i^real snowstorm of 1812, about 
Christmas time, Joseph Cundall was smothered to death 
going from his mill to the house, and was not found till the 
next March. Many sheep were driven into the snow, some 
smothered and pressed tlat by the snow, and not found till 
the next Spring." 

These references to the severity of the winter climate 
of our island in those days make us ponder. There were no 
stoves then — nothing but open fireplaces. What is now a 
plaything and a luxury with us was the only means of 
obtaining warmth or cooking food, and there must be grave 
doubts as to whether the charming proverb, 'The Lord 
tempers the wind to the shorn lamb," was very deeplj' 
seated in the hearts of the Islanders of Rhode Island of 
that period. How common today with us is the expression: 
Was ever such weather known? when the northwest wind 
is roaring with especial ferocity and our venerable dwell- 
ings tremble and vibrate under its relentless blows! What 
are such temporary inconveniences and petty hardships 
as we grumblingly endure, compared with the actual suf- 
fering that grim winter brought to our ancestors? It is 
easy, however, to see good in everything, provided one 
h)oks far enough. There is no reason why we should not 
assume that the harsh treatment accorded the early settlers 
})y Mother Nature (who in this hemisphere was more than 
half savage anyway) contributed to the development of 
that powerful physique and lofty mentality which are among . 
the distinguishing features of the true Newporter of today. 

Mr. Chase goes on: "I wall write some old stories of old 
times which I heard from my grandfather, who died in 1816, 
aged 80 years. I was then thirteen years of age and lived in 
the same house with him. When he was young he lived 
with his great-grandfather who lived near Assonet, Massa- 
chusetts, and was very old. When a young man he removed 
from Newburyport; and here I will tell the names of our 
line of Chases as we have them. 

The first William at Newburyport from England; his 
son Benjamin; his son William moved to Assonet, Massa- 



chiisetts, about 1090. His son Isaac lived at Somerset. His 
son James lived at Newport on the Malbone Farm. His son 
Zacciicus lived at Portsmouth. His son Shadrick, his son 
Jacob, his son Charles, and his son Herbert K. Uved in 
Portsmouth. Rhode Island 

The liouse where my grandfather lived had a large 
kitchen, 21x20 feet, and fireplace in front. Near by lived six 
boys one or two years older than myself. ^Ye met in long 
winter evenings here to parch corn and eat apples and to 
make candy. We had plenty of cider and when it was very 
good my grandfather would have his chair brought out with 
his long l)ipe and drink some cider and eal apples and 
])arched corn — for his teeth were sound and never lost but 
one. Then he would tell us of old times and things his 
great-grandfather did when they first came to Assonet. First 
how he and his two sons came in the fall, and built a hut 
25x15 and four feet high with stones between two trees. On 
these they laid a pole. From this pole to the wall they laid 
other poles and covered them with thatch which grew on 
the marsh near by and laid poles on this to keep it in place. 
They left a hole in the roof covered with a piece of birch 
bark with a pole to keep it in place and to open it, and 
under this hole they made a fire and the smoke went up and 
out. They made a door of bark and one or two holes for 
light, open in pleasant weather and closed in cold. Thej' 
banked the wall with dirt and it was warm. They brought 
one live-pint brass kettle, one iron pot, some axes, a hoe, 
some large needles, and one extra suit of clothes, mostly 
buckskin. They cut and burned trees and cleared some 
land to plant in the spring Grapes were very plenty; they 
got some and ])ressed for vinegar. Evenings and stormy 
days they made some tubs and barks for holding things. 
There were some Indians near them. They made friends 
and traded for fish and oysters. Eels were large and plenty. 
One, they thought, would weigh six pounds. And their 
skins they stripped and braided into ropes. Fish lines were 
made of Indian hemp. This hemp is something like milk- 
weed, lilack ducks were plenty and the Indians would give 
four for a fish hook. They caught the ducks with a bone 
about an inch long with a hole about a third from one end 
and pointed at both ends. This was attached to a short 

6 



string and bailed with a grass root. The l)ird would swal- 
low and pulled tlic bone aeross the throat. Afterwards they 
used iish hooks. The dueks were salted and smoked. The 
eels w^ere split and the backbones taken out, and then salted 
and dried. Ducks laid their eggs in the woods and were 
quite plenty and they had all they wanted. (Think of eggs 
today a dollar a dozen!) They also got some deer meal and 
dried it. The Indians caught snudl bears which they got 
and dried about one hundred pounds. Rabbits, partridges, 
squirrels and raccoons were easily caught. They had a gun 
and ammunition which they used sparingly. Dried berries 
were obtained from the Indians, all they wanted. One of 
the sons staid here all winter and cut wood. He cut sonie 
cedar logs for cooper stuff. Corn w as bought of the Indians. 
This they pounded and nuide a coarse bread. It was also 
hulled and boiled and then pounded and baked before the 
fire. This was the first Johnny cake ever heard of. (In- 
dians used to carry cakes of baked corn meal on their long 
trots across the wilderness. Was the original name Journey 
Cake?) In the spring grandfather and son came uj) and 
planted corn and raised near thirty bushels. They had some 
turnips and other seeds and raised some red peppers. These 
were a great treat. Potatoes were not raised at thai lime. 
Eight bushels of beans were a'so raised. Deer invid was 
roasted before the fire. Bear meat, rabbits and woodclnicks 
were usually made into stews with ground nuts and arti- 
chokes which grew wild and quite plentiful. Sweet charvel 
and herbs w^ere raised and some were good seasoning. 

In the past winter fhey hired an Indian to go to New- 
buryport with a hand sled. He carried skins and furs of 
beaver and bear. He did the journey in about twelve hours. 
This Indian could be trusted as he would not drink rum. 
This was uncommon. He was afraid of a letter wrote on i. 
piece of birch bark. It was read to him and the man to whom 
it was directed read it to him. He thought this was witch- 
craft and would not carry it except it was wrapped in a fox 
skin and tied around his neck. He brought back an iron 
kettle, a brass pot, some flour and other things. That spring 
they made some salt by evaporating salt water. At their 
leisure they made some tubs of cedar and white oak. Acorns 
were parched and made into coffee, and chocolate was 



made fioiii hickory luits. Oyster shells were burned for 
lime. Willi this, skins were cleaned of hair and grease. 
These were tanned in a large hollow snag log with oak bark 
and sumac. The Indians taught them to make dishes out of 
turtle shells. Box turtles were used for small ones. These 
smoothed and polished on the outside were quite hand- 
some. The large mud turtles made a good steak. In the 
spring a feast as gotten up for the Indians. About twenty 
were jjresenl. The feast was made ui) of fish, oysters, 
baked deer meal cooked as we do at a chunbake. The bear 
meal was slewed. A mud Untie weighing about forty 
l)()unds was sli'wed with ground nuts, ai'tichokcs, sweet 
char\el and red pejjpers with some hulled corn. 

lieans were a wondt I'fui Jish. The) had some iron 
spoons, knives and clam shells. A |)udding made of hulled 
corn and pounded with some berries dricni and maple 
syrup; and at last a qiuu'ler gill of rum for the men and 
half a dozen colored beads for the s([uaws and i)api)ooses. 
This made the Indians friendly for life and it ended in a 
smoke. The son who returned home worked wilh a black- 
smilh. He made a luunmer and tongs and a rutle i)air of 
l)ell(n\s but had nothing for a nose, so Ihey cut olf a piece of 
the long gun and found it was better than it was before. An 
iron stone or a piece of iron ore was used for an anvil. Hy 
continual use the saw became quite thill and the files worn 
oul. He made a chisel and by drawing the temper oul of 
the files they were shari)ened and then I'e-lempered I'eady 
for use on the saw . 

For lish sj)c>ars, knives and lish hooks, the Indians 
would give fish, eels, oysters, ducks and eggs, deer and bear 
meat, berries or anything they had. 

Providence was the nearest town, but to gel there they 
liad to cross the river, so they went to Plymouth and Pors- 
mouth. To Portsmouth they could go by canoe and carried 
furs and some articles they required. For clothing they 
wore doe skin shirts and the rest of buckskin. Iron was 
rather scarce. For shooting bear or deer an iron rod was 
taken and jiointed at the end and then cut oti' about half 
an inch long. This did very well for a ball. In the fall 
grandmother and daughter came and brought a large dog 
for safeguard. He was very useful killing skunks and 

s' 



\v()odcluick.s. 'llicy fixed up tilings as only a woman can. In 
the spring corn, beans and pumpkins were planted, also 
some potatoes for the first time. A saw and grist mill was 
built at Assonet. About this time a cow was bought and a 
frame house was built and this was the last of this life." 

The manuscript speaks of buried treasure on the 
Island : 

"I never knew how stories of buried money originated, 
but on the sea coast many places are to be found mostly 
attributed to Kidd, the pirate. On the east side of the 
Island, near the farm of the late John Rogers, (a quarter 
mile south of Vaucluse) money was buried by Kidd, and 
after the revolutionary war, as many had buried money and 
dug it up, it excited many to dig for treasure. There was an 
old man sixty years since who told me this story, one of 
many, of money buried on the Black Point farm. (3ne of his 
ancestors knew the exact spot and had all the papers re- 
lating to it. Hut for some reason it was to be kept secret 
during his life. Soon after his death his house was burned 
with these papers, but a scrap on which w^as left was money 
and gold on three square pieces. They did not dare to dig 
in the day time, and in the night many superstitions must 
be observed. Every tool used must have a piece of silver on 
the handle; there was a man hired to guard it and no word 
must be spoken while digging. Once w^hen it w^as dug for 
the bar struck the iron box, and one spoke and there was 
a flash of light and the box disappeared and they never 
could find it again. Farther north more money was buried. 
Near was a carpenter's shop and a blacksmith's where there 
were many apprentices working. The owners were jolly 
men. and evenings they w^ould tell of money buried near. 
They made ready to dig some night. They nuist dig on the 
last of the month of the moon. The place was near an old 
wall running east and west. They began to dig. Nothing 
was to be said about it. Soon there was a flash of light; 
then a face shown over the wall covered with fire. They 
all started to run. There had been some ropes stretched in 
their path and some fell over these ropes. 

A gun was fired, and one fainted and fell. The rest 
looked out for number one. None dug there again. In 
writing of buried treasure, I have never heard of but three 

9 



successful linds. One man hired a simple boy, a pauper, to 
lielj) him clear out his cellar. In scraping with his hoe he 
pulled out a stone in the bottom of the cellar wall. In al- 
io inpting to put it back he discovered a hole in which was a 
tin box or kettle, very rusty, with some silver money in it, 
no one ever knew how much. A man and his son buried 
money in two places. One of the places he promised his 
father he would never leil of and he never did. The other 
was near a rock. At this rock on the tenth day of June at 
eight o'clock in the morning at the highest point of the 
shadow of he rock just below there was an iron rod. This 
was fastened to a teakettle with money in it. This was 
found, but how much none knew. A poor man was hired to 
build a fence near Newport. In digging a post hole he 
found an earthern pot of money. He bought the land and 
built a nice house and had money left, none knew how 
much. 

After tile great gale of 1815 there happened a circum- 
stance known to but two men, both now dead. The bank of 
the town farm was twenty or more feet high. At the time 
of that great gale this bank was washed away to quite an 
amount and left exposed two feet and a copper chain was 
left sticking out. They dug this out and found a man's 
skeleton wrapped in sheet lead. This, I think, they buried 
in the Hazard burying lot near by on the town farm. I think 
no one but myself ever heard of this before. 

Grandfather, in his stories, told of how they got a fire 
with a bone drill and milkweed silk wet in oil; how they 
hung a stone on an oak limb with an eel skin over a hollow 
stone, and when the wind swung the limb it pounded the 
corn that was in the stone." 

Mr. Chase's connnents on prices of those, days are 
worthy of note : 

"Ai)ples were plenty and were sold at Newport and 
P)ristol Ferry at twenty cents per bushel and for cider at 
one dollar i)er barrel. Not much money in circulation. 
Wool, pork and beef sold for cash to pay taxes. Other 
farm produce was traded for groceries. Butter was twelve 
cents, cheese four to six cents. We then burned wood 
costing four to six dollars per cord landed on the shore. 
Wood mostlv brought from Assonet, Mass. 



1(1 



There has been several old stone houses torn down in 
my time; the George Cornell house at the foot of the lane; 
near it, to the west, the Albro house had leaden sash and 
diamond glass. Then south, another Albro house; further 
south the Hrightman house; then near the West Road the 
"Joe" house, built with the old ferry house near the town 
farm. Then the Thomas Sherman house of wood, nearly 
opposite the Charles A. Chase place and a small house 
south called the Petty Place. South of Lewis Thurston's a 
large stone house two stories high called "The Schooner" 
built by the Cornells, with leaden sashes and diamond 
windows. These houses all but one have been lived in 
since I can remember. 

The Lawton house owned by Pxoberl Thurston was torn 
down forty years since. It had stone ends and was a 
garrison house at the time of the Indians. There was a 
way from the cellar to the water, now walled up. The old 
house near Charles A. Chase's torn down 35 years since. 
Had stone ends, two stories high, built by Hazard, bought 
many years ago by Isaac and John Lawton. This was partly 
torn down and enlarged for a tavern when the ferry was 
on their shore to Prudence and from there to Warwick and 
Providence. Bristol then was a wilderness. I remember the 
ferry house at Prudence. There are some remains of the 
wharf now. 

There has been several mills in Lawton's Valley, and 
some before my remembrance. The first I remember was 
washed away in August 1827 or 1828. This has been re- 
built and torn down. At one time it was used by J. Dennis 
to build spinning frames and to card wool. Below this was 
one used by Walter Cornell for carding and fulling. 

In our day the mill in Lawton's Valley did most of the 
grinding. W^e carried our corn to mill on horseback or man 
back. We could get a horse or cart no nearer to the mill 
than 30 rods. In those days we had no wagons. Our meal 
bags were made of home-uiade tow cloth woven kersey 
three-quarters of a yard wide and doubled together, meas- 
uring three-eighths in wddth and one and one-half yards 
long so as to reach across the horse's back. 

I w^ell remember many of the stories of the jolly old 
miller. He had seen much of the world, having in his young 

11 



clays been a sailor. A I sixlocii he sailed Iroin Newport with 
Captain Fowler to the eoast of Africa for a cargo of slaves. 
He afterwards commanded a brig that carried horses and 
mules to tile West Indies. In his later days his stories 
were somewhat confused about Africa and the West Indies, 
sharks, sea serpents, gold dust, ivory, palm trees one hun- 
dred feet high without a limb yielding wine, milk and oil; 
slaves and the river Benny. He also used to tell about the 
"Dark Day," and the great snowstorm in the year 17(30; 
General Washington, General Lafayette and Count Rocham- 
beau and the Revolution generally. Some of his best stories 
were about the families whose names ended in "ton," Wash- 
ington always first on the list; then Codchngton, Wanton, 
Lawton, Thurston, P)arrington, and others of renown." 

There are many other interesting features in "THE 
RECOLLF.CTIONS OF JACOB CHASE," but as this is the 
first time in more than a year that w^e have been able to 
include real cake in the list of our post-literary refresh- 
ments, I havn't the heart to keep our honored guests wait- 
ing another minute. 



12 



SOCIETY NOTES 



Siiict' Ihc iasl iiK'cling ol' the 
Board of Directors, wliich was 
held on September 10, the sal- 
ient points of interest in the 
experiences and operations of 
the Society appear to be as fol- 
lows : 

The War Relics Loan Exhi- 
bition has been largely attend- 
ed, especially on Sunday after- 
noons, when on many occa- 
sions the rush of visitors has 
been so great as to necessitate 
the services of an extra attend- 
ant in order properly to safe- 
guard from prying fingers the 
precious objects of our several 
collections. 

A large and varied collection 
of minerals has recently been 
added to our treasures. These 
are now being examined by an 
expert mineralogist, and we 
hope to give some account of 
their value at our next meet- 
ing. 

The last page of this Bulletin 
contains the notice of a book 
for sale at the Society's rooms 
and at the bookstores of New- 
port. This book is entitled 
"Early Religious Leaders of 
Newport," and it is so full of 
virtue and wisdom, and so at- 
Iri^.ctive in form, that no fur- 
ther advertisement should be 
necessary than the plaudits of 
those wlio have read and en- 
joyed it. But doubtless owing 
to the overwhelmina flood of 
war literature that has inun- 
dated the v.'orid, the scales of 
this admirable work have made 
but slow progress. Yet it would 
indeed bo difficult to find so 



much of good in any other 
form priced at only one dol- 
lar. We earnestly reconnnend 
it to all our members and 
friends. 

Fhere has been within the 
past two years so great a de- 
mand for our Bulletins, that 
many of the issues are now 
completely exhausted. And the 
inquiries come in thick and 
fast and we cannot satisfy 
them. Now we shall be very 
glad indeed to pay ten cents 
jper copy for such numbers as 
are missing from our archives 
These are The numbers: 1, 2, 5, 
6, 10, 12, 15, 16, 17. One of 
these has been asked for 
this very day; it is No. 5, 
with a paper written by Mrs. 
William H. Birckhead on Gov- 
ernor William Codington, and 
read before the Society in No- 
\ember, 1912. 

Two really wonderful oil 
paintings have recently been 
added to our collection. They 
represent two distinguished 
gentlemen of Newport w^ho 
nourished in the eighteenth 
century and whose honored re- 
mains lie in old Trinity church- 
yard. It has been suggested 
that a ceremonious presenta- 
tion of these valuable portraits 
shall constitute one of the fea-^ 
tures of the next regular quar- 
terly meeting of the Society. 

The policy of the present 
management*^ is to make the 
Society as popular with and as 
useful to the community as 
possible, and to this end no re- 
quest on the part of its patrons 



13 



and friends Unit can reasonably 
be granted is ever declined. Tbe 
rooms are universally acknow- 
ledi^'ed to be the most central, 
the most attractive, and the 
most convenient place of meet- 
ing in the good old town, and 
there has never been one dis- 
cordant note in this p?ean of 
l)raise. 

Following is the list of the 
ex-Society meetings held in 
or.r rooms since the annual 
meeting of the Socielv on Mav 
22, 1918: 

1. Friday, June 14. Daugh- 
lers of the American Revolu- 
lion. 

2. Wednesda.y, June 20. 
Danghters of the American 
Revolution. 

3. Saturday, June 29. New- 
l)()rt Improvement Association. 

I. Monday, July 1. Newport 
Im{)r()vement Association. 

3. Grand Meeting of the Red 
Cross Society. 

6. July 6. Newport Improve- 
ment Association. 

7. July 13. Newport Im- 
provement Association. 

8. July 19. F Hinerette Unit 
meeting — Miss Wetmore. 

9. xVug. 7. Nathaniel Greene 
Memorial. 

10. Aug. 9. Newport Im- 
l)rovement Association. 

II. Aug. 15. Concert, Mrs. 
W. A. Clarke. (Especial praise 
was accorded by Mrs. Clarke 
f<jr the remarkable acoustic 
l)r()nerties of the hall.) 

12. Aug. 17. Newport Im- 
provement Association. 

13. Sept. 3. New])()rt Im- 
provement Association. 

14. Sept. 14. Newport Im- 
])r()vement Association. 

15. Oct. 5. Newport Im- 
provement Association. 



1(). Nov. 2. Newi)()rt Im- 
jirovement Association. 

17. Dec. 7. Newport Im- 
l)rovement Association. 

18. Dec. 4. Food Conserva- 
tion Housewives meeting. 

19. Oct. 23. Current Topics 
Club. 

20. Oct. 30. Current Topics 
Club. 

21. Nov (). Current Topics 
Club 

22 Nov. 13. Current Topics 
Ciub. 

2'). Nov. 20. Current Topics 
C!u.b 

24. Nov. 27. Current Topics 
Club. 

25. Dec. 4. Current Topics 
Club. 

2(). Dec. 11. Current Topics 

27. Dec. 11. Farmerettes Unit. 

28. Jan. 8, 1919. Current Top- 
ics Club. 

29. Jan. 15, 1919. Current 
TojHcs Club. 

30. Jan. 14. 1919. Daughters 
of the American Revolution. 

31. Jan. 22, 1919. Current 
Topics Club. 

Referring ot the "Recollec- 
tions of Jacob Chase," printed 
in this number, we should be 
very much ])leased if some of 
our friends could fix the exact 
or a])proximate location of 
some of the houses mentioned 
in the original manuscript. 
Such information might lead 
to the preparation of a second 
and more exhaustive paper on 
the early history of our island. 

These are some of the places 
referred to : Ciindall's house 
and mill: George Cornell 
house: Rrightman. Albro and 
"Toe"' houses; Thomas Sher- 
man house; the Petty Place; 
Lewis Thurston's. 



14 



OFFICERS 

OF THE 

Newport Historical Society 

For the year ending May^ igi^ 



President, REV. DR. RODERICK TERRY 
First Vice-Preside.vt, FRA.NK K. STURGIS 

Second Vice-President, ALFRED TUCKERMAN 
Recording Secretary, JOHN P. SANBORN 
Corresponding Secretary, MAUD LYMAN STEVENS 
Treasurer, HENRY C. STEVENS, Jr. 
Librarian, LLOYD M. MAYER 
Curator of Coins and Medals, EDWIN P. ROBINSON 
Members of the Board of Directors 

FOR three years 

MRS. HAROLD BROWN MISS EDITH M. TILLEY 

DR. WILLIAM S. SHERMAN 

FOR TWO years 

MRS. THOMAS A. LAWTON HAMILTON B. TOMPKINS 

MRS; FRENCH VANDERBILT MISS ELIZABETH G. SWINBURNE 

for one year 

MRS. C. L. F. ROBINSON MRS. CHAS. C. GARDNER 

JONAS BERGNER LAWRENCE L. GILLESPIE 



15 



Early Religious Leaders of Newport 

1 VOL. N VO PP 1S4 

Published by the Newport Historical Society 
t __^ 

This Book contains Eight Addresses as follows; 

DR. JOHN CLARKE .... Page 5 

By Rrv. franklin G. McKEEVER, D.D. 

Pastor Second Baptist Church, Newport 

(Pajier read before the Society May 8, 1917 

THE RELIGIOUS SOCIETY OF FRIENDS Page 21 

By Dr. WILLIAM J. HULL 
Professor of History, Swarthmore College 

( l'.ii)iT read l)ef()re the Society Aiisju-it 14, lyi;,! 

REV. DR. SAMUEL HOPKINS . . Paie 51 

By Rev. CLARIS EDWIN SILCOX 
Pastor United Congregational Church, Newport 

I Paper read l)efore the Society February o, 1.117I 

VERY REV. DEAN GEORGE BERKELEY, D.D. Page 77 

By Rev. STANLEY C. HUGHES 

Rector Ti-inity Church, Newport 

(Paper read before the Society March 6, 1917 

THE SEPHARDIC JEWS OF NEWPORT Page 97 

By Rev. J. PEREIRA MENDES, D.D. 

Pastor Synagogue Shearith Israel, New York 

1 Paper read before tlie Society June 12, 1917) 

REV. GEORGE WHITEFIELD . . Page 113 

By Rev. WILLIAM I. WARD 

Pastor First Methodist Church, Newport 

( Paper read before the Society January 2, 1017I 

REV. DR. WILLIAM ELLERY CHANNING Page 125 

:By Rev. WILLIAM SAFFORD JONES 

Pastor Channing Memorial Church, Newport 

I Paper read before tlie Society .\pril ^, 1917^ 

REV. DR. EZRA STILES . . . Page 149 

By Rev. RODERICK TERRY. D.D. 

Vice President of the Society 

(Pai>er read before tlie Societv July lo. ioi~i 

fD :t — 

Fod^c^ atfdie Rooms of the Society 

^ and at the Bookstores in Newport Pvice $1.00 



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